Machine tool



April 16, 1957 o. WALDRICH 2,733,564

MACHINE TOOL Filed April 29, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I LF QF Inventor? 0. WALDRICH MACHINE TOOL April 16, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 29, 1952 April 16, 1957 o. WALDRICH 2,788,564

MACHINE TOOL Filed April 29, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor:-

0. Na Zdz bch 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 ifa/Lcizwxz v April 16, 1957 0'. WALDRICH MACHINE TOOL Filed April 29, 1952 II I L April 16, 1957 o. WALDRICH MACHINE TOOL Filed April 29, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 F'ig.9b Fig.9c

Ink/E 772607 United States Patent MACHINE. TOOL Oskar Waldrlch, Siegen, Westphalia, Germany Application April 29, 1952, Serial No. 284,887

Claims priority, application Germany April 30, 1951 Claims. (Cl. 29-1) This invention relates to machine tools and in particular to the sliding members used for the adjustment or feeding of the tool or workpiece.

It has already been proposed to make individual members of a machine tool clampable; such clamping has served to prevent further movement of the members. In these arrangements play of members relative to one another Was in no way removed, because the clamping devices were not constructed and adapted to effect this. For these reasons it was also not usual to hold these members reliably clamped during each working operation.

In contradistinction the essence of the present invention is that a sliding member serving for the adjustment or feed of the tool or workpiece, preferably every such part, is automatically clamped firmly and without play to its slideway during working operations of the machine. For the sake of security, the best arrangement is for the sliding member normally to be firmly clamped and only to be released automatically during its movement.

Preferably the release according to the invention is initiated, controlled or efiected by the means for moving the sliding member such as a screwed spindle, shaft or the like, at the beginning of its movement, the clamping means being again set in action by the means for moving the member coming to rest or by the termination of the application of power action for effecting themovement of the part. The practical realisation of the invention may be eifected by means of clamping devices such as clamps or wedge-strips which effect the clamping action under the action of strong springs or the like, while the means for moving the member is provided with operating or control members such as cams, eccentrics, control rods or the like, which acting through known devices such as hydraulic pistons, electromagnets or the like, or mechanical devices such as link, rod or lever mechanisms, first release the clamping means by urging them against the springs or the like which are thus further loaded, and then for example by taking up play or lost motion included in the means for transmitting movement to the sliding membersay by the inclusion of a dog clutch or the like having playeffect the movement of the sliding member, and at the end of the movement when the member is finally disconnected, uncoupled or stopped the springs are permitted to return the clamping means into action.

The clamping means according to the invention can be applied to the carriage, cross-slide and top-slide of a lathe, to a part such as a tailstock sliding on the bed of a lathe, to the tool head and vertical slide and to the tool slide also if such is carried on the vertical slide, of a planing machine, and to the cross and vertical motions of the table and to the tool slide of a shaping machine.

Some examples of embodiment of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a detail section showing one form of clamping means which can be employed;

Figures 2 to 5 are similar detail sections showing the same clamping means as Figure 1 with four ditferent methods of releasing the clamping means, Figure 2a being a detail modification of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a cross section of another form of clamping means and releasing mechanism;

Figures 7 and 7a are a front view and a cross section respectively, illustrating the application of the invention to a lathe;

Figures 8 and 8a are a front view partly in section and a cross section respectively, illustrating another form of application of the invention to a lathe;

Figures 9 and 9a are a detail side view and a detail plan view respectively, both partly in section, illustrating the application of the invention to a planing machine;

Fig. 9b is a top plan view of a support and Fig. 9c is a section on line c-c of Fig. 9b;

Figures 10 and 10a are a detail side view and a detail plan view respectively, both partly in section, illustrating the application of the invention to a shaping machine.

Figure 1 shows in section a wedge strip 15 which, by a pile of plate springs 17 acting through a bolt 16 secured to the strip 15, is clamped in a seating formed by corresponding surfaces provided respectively on a sliding machine tool member 18 such as a tailstock or carriage, and on the machine bed or the like on which the member 18 slides. The springs are accommodated in the sliding member 18 e. g. in the tailstock or carriage. A force can be applied by some convenient transmission means e. g. a hydraulic piston, an eccentric, a lever, or the like, in the direction of the arrow 19, the transmission means being so arranged that such a force is first applied to all the similar bolts 16 against the action of the springs 17 before the member 18 is moved, the strip or strips 15 associated with the member thus being released by the lateral movement of the bolt or bolts 16 and the movement of the member 18 then being effected. At the end of this movement the force 19 on the bolts 16 is released when the springs 17 draw the strip or strips 15 back into clamping position.

In Figure 2, to apply the force in the direction of the arrow 19 of Figure 1, a toothed segment 20 is provided which by a rack 21 can be rotated on the bolt 16. The segment 16 is restrained again-st movement in the axial direction of the bolt by surfaces 22 in the member 18 and it has screw-threaded engagement with the bolt 16 so that when the rack 21 is actuated in the appropriate direction the segment through its threaded engagement with the bolt moves the latter axially as required. The bolt is locked against rotation relative to the strip 15 by a grub-screw 23.

Figure 2a relates to a similar construction to Figure 2, but instead of the rack 21 of Figure 2, a worm 24 is provided which meshes with corresponding teeth of the segment 20. Thus the rotation of the segment is effected 'by rotation of the worm 24 instead of the longitudinal motion of the rack 21 of Figure 2.

Figure 3 shows the bolt 16 providedwith a roller 25 which is journalled by the aid of two lateral cheeks 26. In the member 18 a slider 27 is mounted to slide in the direction of the arrow 28, and it has an inclined running surface 29 for the roller. When the slider is moved in the direction of the arrow 28, the bolt 16 is thrust in the direction of the arrow 19 and the clamping action of the Patented Apr. 16,1957

is "efi'ected'by "thrusting the" bolt 16 in the direction of th'e'"arrovv"19;- thus'also compressing thepile of plate" particuiariy A member 37 sliding on the bed, e. g. a tailstock, is guided by lateral guide ways 36*a'nd is clamped by the aid of a dovetail-sectioned slot 38 in the-bedby r'riea'nsof the "correspondingly shaped heads of two bolts 39 which-are guidedwithout lateral ray and ardrawn up iri the direction of the arrow sit by piles'of-- springs; 40. Unclarn'ping ot this device is etfect'edby the' aidof" swans 42 which meshes with two 'worr'n wh'eelsfl whicli are slid'ably keyed to respective externally threaded sleeves 43a' rotatable'o1ithe-bolts andengaged is internally threaded fixed sleeves? 43b. Whenthe-sleeves- 43a"are rotated in the appropriate direction' they move downwards and through shoulders on the'b'o'lts 39 forcethe' latter downwards thus releasing the clamping whi-le furthercom pressihg the springs 40. This arrangement ensures accurate centreing of the sliding member in the clam'pedportion.

Figures 7 and 7a show how clampingin the manner generally described above with reference to Figures 1 to can be applied to the cross-slide 45 of the lathe by'rneans of a wedge strip 46, and at the same time to the carriage ts by a wedge strip 47' and to the top-slide 49 by a wedge strip 50.

Figures 8 and 8a show in'a similar fashion how clampin'gainthe' manner described with reference to Figure 6 can be applied to the cross-slide 51 and the top slide 52- of a lathe by means of dovetail-headed bolts 53 and 54 respectively, while the carriage is clamped as above described with reference to Figures 7 and 7a by the aid of a wedge-strip-SS.

Figures 9 and 9a shows the clamping of the movable parts of the tool head of a'planing machine; Figure 9 shows the head 56 itself clamped to the cross beam 57 by a wedge strip 58, and as appears from Figure 9a the vertical-slide 59 is'clamped to the head 56 by a wedge strip 60. These figures also show the tool carried not by aclapper but by a tool slide 61 .which is' pivotally mounted on the vertical slide 59 and by which the tool is automatically moved at the correct times between a retracted and a workingposition. This tool slide 61 is also provided with a wedge-strip 62 by which it is clamped inaccordance' with the present invention.

In the construction shown in Figs. 9b and 9c the Wedge strip does not extend across the entire liead'but is divided into two' arts- SSa-and 58b one of which is arranged at each end-of the head. Otherwise the construction is similar to that shown in Figs. 9 and 9a.

Figures and 10a illustrate the application of the invention to a shaping machine. Here the cross feed of the table 63 is provided with a wedge strip- 64, the height adjustment of the table 65 on the body of the machine is; provided-with a wedge strip 66, while the tool slide 67 is clamped to the ram 68 by a wedge strip 69.

his to be understood that where the clamping means as man three slides in Figures 7 and 7a and-in the carriage of Figures 8 and 8a) when released constitutes part of the actual guiding means for the sliding member,

when the sliding-memberis'fedduring 'the'machining'op eration, e. g. the carriage of a lathe during parallel turning or screw scutting, or the cross slide during facing, the release movement must be enough to allow the sliding member to move with the necessary freedom, but not so much as to permit excessive play or shake.

What I claim is:

l. A combined clamping and releasing arrangement for machine tools of the type having a slide and a slideway consisting of a device comprising in" combination with the slide and the s'lidew'ay' a wedge" strip between said slide and slideway, a bolt connected at one end to of frustro-conical springsbe'tween' saidbolt and said slide tending to pull said wedge into its clamping position between said slide and said slideway, and of a releasing device comprising. in combination with the bolt of the clamping device, a" roller rotatably rriounted on the free end of said bolt, and a sliding'rn'ember having a surface bearing against said roller to shift said bolt axially against the action of said springs'to'disengag'e the clampingdevice.

2. A combined clamping and releasing arrangement'for' machine tools of thetyp'e'h'aving'at'least o'neslide and at least one slideway, eachsli'de including at least on'ef device each comprising in combination withthe slide and the slideway a wedge strip between said slide and slide way, a bolt connected at one end to said wedge" strip'and axially shiftable in said slide, a pack' of frustro-conical springs between said bolt and said slid''normally pullingsaid Wedge into its clamping position between said slide and said slideway, and a releasing device comprising 'nieans operative prior to movement of sa'id' 'slide to push against the free end of saidbolt to 'compre'ss said spring" and to shift said bolt axially against the" action of s'aid springs to disengage the clamping device.

3. The device of claim 2, in which said means' 'opera tive to push against the free end of said b0ltcomprises an eccentric member adapted, upon rotation, to bear against the free end of said bolt to shift said bolt to dis= engaging position;

4. The devic'eof claim 2, in which said-means opera- Mtive'to push against the free end of said b'olt' com rises piston formed on the end of said-bolt, a source of fluid under pressure, a fluid-tight cylinder cooperating with said piston to receivefluid'u'nder pressure from said source to shift said bolt into disengaging position underthe influence of said fluid under pressure within saidcylinder.

5. The device of cla'im'2, in'which said means'operative to push against the'free end of said bolt comprises screwthreads on said bolt end, a nut running on said-threads;- saidnut being rot'atably mounted in said slide and re-"V strained against axial movement, a toothed segment on the outer edgeof said-nut, and arack engaging: said toothed segment whereby uponactuation ofsaid rack said nut is rotated to shift said boltto disengaging-position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,123,825 De Vlie'g' July" 12, 1938 2,273,844 Drissner Feb. 24, 1942 2,430,677 Hobart Nqv; 11, 194: 2,555,386 Zimmerman June's, 1951 

